Archives Nuclear weapon - Page 6 of 9 - New Eastern Outlook

Over the years, the AUKUS and Quad military blocs, as any reasonable observer will have noted, have become sources of militarization in the Asia-Pacific region. However, one of the risks associated with these and other US regional alliances, and one which has so far been overlooked, is the potential, in the near future, for nuclear proliferation and the spread of dual-use technologies in this part of the world.

Russia’s Special Military Operation in Ukraine started in February 2022, when the Ukrainians suspended all communication channels with their Russian counterparts. Before that, Ukraine made blatant violations of all the mutual understandings between Russia and the West, including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). It is to be remembered here that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the West and the Russian Federation mutually agreed that the NATO will not expand its borders. The then U.S. Secretary of State James Baker made it clear to the Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev that NATO has no desire of expansion, and it will move “not one inch eastward.”

On June 13, 2024, Russia and China signed a historic deal by signing a contract to jointly build 4 VVER-1200 third-generation nuclear reactors. The China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and Russia’s Rosatom (or the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom) signed the agreements. Both countries are planning to construct Xudabao Nuclear Power Plant and Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant in China. Apparently, 2 VVER-1200 will be installed in each of the power plants generating almost 4800 Mega Watts of power.